extracted text

Property of the Center

;

Vol. 10 Issue 5
September/October1995

INSIDE
Betty Cole To
Receive
Evangeline K.
Brown Award
-page 6
Susan and James
DeVito of Eureka
Springs To Be
Honored As
Volunteers
Of The Year
-page 7
Booknotes
-page 8
Women's Project
Calendar
-page 10

In Our Right Minds
ately, I find myself alternately
suffering from fear, paranoia,
depression and free-floating
anxiety. I'm tired of placing all the
blame on menopause and am beginning to believe I should hand my
estrogen pills out to the men in Congress, the White House, corporate
board rooms, on the street, for that
matter!
I look up from reading a story
about Disney buying out ABC, to the
TV, where I hear a reporter announcing that Westinghouse has just
bought out CBS. Republicans are
pushing for big cuts in PBS and public radio. The House has voted to cut
all funding to the National Endowment for the Arts and the National
Endowment for the Humanities in
two years.
Nearly 250 companies, including
Wal-Mart, Rockwell International,
and Frito-Lay, as well as the United
Auto Workers-GM Human Resource
Center, have established Family Resource Centers for their employees,
complete with audiocassettes, videos, and publications from Focus on
the Family.
I learn that feminist bookstores all
over the country are going out of
business. If I take a trip to New York
City, I will not be able to visit a
feminist bookstore.
These are not symptoms of menopause!

Lynn Frost

Reading the Right
I am often asked why I don't start
a feminist bookstore here in Little
Rock, since I have the experience
and connections as a result of selling
books on a small scale through the
Women's Project. There are many
reasons why such a store could not
be supported in this area, but I also
knew the superstores would eventually come to Little Rock, and come
they have. Books-A-Million haE
opened two stores and Barnes 8,
Noble will open one any day.
These superstores can give customers substantial discounts which
small, independent bookstores cannot, and all over the country, service-oriented independent bookstores are being squeezed out of the
market by corporate chains and
superstores.
With their" Alternative Lifestyles"
sections, there's no question that the
superstores are bringing gay and lesbian books to places that once might
have been completely closed to any
queer literature at all. So why isn't
this cause for unqualified celebration? For one thing, small, independent bookstores, which were once
the sole source of gay and lesbian,
feminist and progressive books, are
finding their very existence challenged by the success of the
superstores.
(continued on page 2)

In Our RightMinds
from page 1
When these alternative bookstores go out of business, we lose
a community resource and a forum for social change. Many feminist bookstores, for example, provide community bulletin boards,
a venue for local writers to read
their work, and are centers for
networking, organizing and cultural work. As much as the
superstores have to offer, they are
not agents of social and political
activism.
Another reason not to celebrate
has to do with which alternative
books are carried by the chain and
superstores. They may be carrying a few books published by small
presses today, but they don't have
a commitment to diversity. They
primarily offer books published
by the mainstream publishing
houses. The fear for many independent booksellers is not just that
they will eventually be forced out
of business, but also that the current diversity in publishing, found
primarily among the smaller
presses, will be lost.
There are practices in the publishing industry which give
superstores an unfair advantage.
According to the Federal Trade
Commission, these stores have
arranged unfair (and illegal) discounts and benefits from publishers that make them "favored retailers." Industry experts estimate
that most small bookstores are
paying fifteen percent more to
publishers than most chain stores.
The American Booksellers Association has brought suit against
five publishers for just such practices. (for more information see
Publishers Weekly, June 6, June 13,
and July 4, 1994)

Certain superstores seal such
deals with publishers before some
"bestseller" titles are even published. Whatdoesthismeanabout
how books are marketed to the
public? The more corporate bookstores control the market, the less
likely it will be that they and the
publishing industry will take risks

on new or controversial authors.
The next generation of authors
with important ideas might never
be found.
According to the Chain Store Age
Executive trade journal, the chairman of Bookstop (a superstore in
Texas and Florida) says that if a
new release does not do well in his
stores in its first few weeks, it is
replaced. Ifwecanonlybuybooks
at chain stores owned by huge
corporations, then we can only
buy the ideas that they ultimately
approve of.
"In the 1970s we used to say
'Freedom of the press belongs to
those who own the presses.' In the
1990s freedom of the press means

the freedom to publish and circulate ideas-including
books.
Whose ideas will be selected for
mass distribution-and
whose
ideas will be excluded as too marginal? What books and ideas will
not be published because there
may cease to be a way to sell
them?" (Carol Seajay, Women's
Review of Books, Dec. 1994)
Public (?) Libraries
There were a total of 760 challenges to school, school library,
and public library materials reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association in 1994. This
represents an 8% increase over
, 1993. The most challenged book
for the second year in a row was
Daddy's Roommate by Michael
Willhoite, a picture book designed
to help children understand that
nontraditional families are loving
too. Other most challenged titles
reflect a continuing concern with
gay materials, witchcraft and the
occult, and sex.
The hub of censorship seems to
be Fairfax County, Virginia. The
furor in Fairfax began early in 1994,
with a one-woman campaign,
waged by Christian housewife
Karen Jo Gounaud, to get the Blade,
a Washingtongaypaper,removed
from the public library system.
Gounaud also checked out all the
gay books she could identify in
the Fairfax system, invited the
press to take pictures of the pile,
refused to return the books and
campaigned for an adults-only
section of the library. Although
the Board of Supervisors voted
against her adults-only proposal,
the library bought $1,100 worth of
anti-gay books (more than 100
volumes) to match those termed
"pro-gay." Many of them discuss

Page 2 • Transformation•September/October 1995

how to "cure" homosexuality.
This spring the library director
nixed what would have been the
11th annual gay-pride exhibit at
one of the branches.
Gounaud, along with Phil
Burress, President of Cincinnati's
Citizens for Community Values
(sponsor of that city's 1993 antigay ballot initiative) have formed
the "America Needs Family
Friendly Libraries" organization.
Their first national meeting, scheduled for October 21st in Cincinnati, will discuss: 1) "the lack of
local control over public library
systems''; 2) the "takeover by the
left-wing policies and politics of
the American Library Association"; and 3) left-leaning library
boards shutting out parental concerns (Culture Watch,July I August
1995).
Control of the Media
There is growing concern that
the distinction between right-wing
and mainstream media is eroding
due to the growing alliance between powerful media corporations and powerful conservative
politicians. Newt Gingrich has
declared that his goal is "reshaping the entire nation through the
newsmedia"(NewYorkTimes,
12/
14/94).
My concern grew to paranoia
when I learned about a poorlyreported series of closed-door
meetings held in Washington, D.C.
in January of this year. Sponsored
by the right-wing Heritage Foundation, they involved the Republican members of the House Commerce Committee (Democrats
were plainly excluded) and the
chief executives of virtually every
leading media and telecommunications firm in the country.
In another closed-door meeting

in Washington on March 6, Newt
Gingrich told corporate leaders
that they should consider an advertising boycott of newspapers
that oppose their views. Gingrich
then told the trade magazine,
Broadcasting & Cable (3/20/95),
that media editorials ought to
match the business interests of

media owners.
If advertisers only supported
pro-business views, and media
commentators and newspersons
always reflected the interests of
their bosses, those who occasionally question corporate power
would be silenced. That's how
Newt Gingrich hopes to reshape
the nation.
As if we don't get enough of
him on the network news and information programs, Gingrich has
his own call-in show, The Progress
Report, on National Empowerment Television (NET), a rightwing cable channel founded by
Paul Weyrich, that describes itself
as "C-SPAN with an attitude." The
Progress and Freedom Founda-

tion,foundedin 1993,underwrites
both Gingrich's weekly call-in program on NET and raises money
for his controversial video college
course, "Renewing American
Civilization."
The foundation,
which has collected nearly $1.7
million, has been supported by
corporations with interests in deregulation like AT&T, BellSouth,
Turner Broadcasting and Cox
Cable Communications.
The conservatives have constructed a truly intimidating media machine, ranging fromnationwide
radio
talkshows
by
Limbaugh and his wannabes, to
dozens of attack magazines, newspapers, newsletters and rightwingopinion columns, to national
cabletelevisionnetworks, to documentary producers who specialize in slick character assassination, to mega-buck publishing
houses. In thepasttwoyearsalone,
through constant repetition, the
machine has focused public anger
on welfare recipients, ghetto residents, immigrant populations and,
most notably, on Bill and Hillary
Clinton.
For years the conservative independent press has been systematically subsidized with millions
of dollars in foundation grants
from the John M. Olin Foundation, the Carthage Foundation, the
Sarah Scaife Foundation,
the
Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Smith-Richardson
Fund, the Adolph Coors Foundation and several others. A search
through foundation grant reports
and other sources of information
revealed that more than $2.7 million in grants went to four magazines from 1990 through 1992: The
American Spectator, The National
Interest, The New Criterion, and The
Public Interest. During the same

Page 3 • Transformation•September/October 1995

period, only $269,500 in private
foundation grants was identified
as going to the four leading progressive publications: TheNation,
Mother Jones,The Progressive,and
In These Times (as reported in Extra!, March/ April 1995).
And what about the current attack on PBS and public radio stations? Could this be about expanding corporate media power
by extending its control over these
valuable frequencies ? These frequencies will be put on the auction block and sold to the highest
bidder. Meetings have already
been held involving Gingrich and
Sen. Larry Pressler with Rupert
MurdochoftheFoxNetwork,John
Malone of TCI and executives from
Bell Atlantic to discuss the carving up of the public airways (Z
Magazine,April 1995).
Then there's the proliferation of
Christian radio and television stations on the air. We might only
stumble over them, cursing, while
we channel surf, but their influence is obvious. In 1992, Pat
Robertson told Christianity Today
(6/22/92), "!believe that [Jesus] is
lord of the government, and the
church and business and education, and, hopefully, one day, lord
of the press." Today his media
domain includes his flagship the
Christian Broadcasting Network
(CBN), the popular Family Channel on cable TV(reaching nearly
60 million homes), a radio news
service called Standard News, and
Zap News, a fax-based news service. Recently he tried to buy the

Houston Post.
Even without all the media exposure, mass membership organizations like the Christian Coalition and Focus on the Family are

able to mobilize efficiently-managed networks for "saturation"
appeals to politicians and advertisers. They use some of the most
sophisticated technology, media
strategies and telecommunications
available. Prior to last November's
election,the Christian Coalition sent
out one of the largest direct mail
appeals ever posted. Many believe
it was that mailing, combined with
appeals from radio talk shows and
pulpits across the country, that
helped influence the outcome of
the election.
And what is the left doing to

balance this bombardment from
the right? Are we linked by a
national strategy? Does each of us
feel we are part of a movement? Is
there a movement organized to
fight this movement to the right?
I am afraid that mass mobilization on a national scale is needed
to turn things around now. There
is no time to start from scratch.
Existinggroupsmustworkincoalition as they never have before.
We need spirited and insightful
leadership. I need an antidepressant! ■

O_rganizations Which Monitor the Right:
DataCenter
Publishers of Culture Watch
46419th St.
Oakland, CA 94612
510/835-4692 Fax 510/835-3017
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State
1816 Jefferson Place, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202/ 466-3234 Fax 202/ 466-2587
Center for Democratic Renewal
P.O. Box 50469
Atlanta, GA 30302
404/221-0025 Fax 404/221-0045
Institute for First Amendment
Studies
P.O. Box 589
Great Barrington, MA 01230
413/528-3800 Fax 413/528-4466
National Gay & Lesbian Task
Force Fight the Right Project
2320 17th St., NW
Washington, DC 20009
202/332-6483 Fax 202/332-0207

People For The American Way
2000 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202/467-4999 Fax 202/293-2672
Political Research Associates
678 Massachusetts Ave., #205
Cambridge, MA 02139
617/661-9313 Fax 617 /661-0059
Fairness & Accuracy in
Reporting (FAIR)
Publishers of Extra!
130 West 25th St.
New York, NY 10001
212/633-6700 Fax 212/727-7668
Nat'l. Coalition Against Censorship
275 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10001
212/807-6222
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation (GLAAD)
150 W. 26th St. Suite 503
New York, NY 10001
212/807-1700 Fax 212/807-1806
Local Chapter: 666-4009

Page 4 •Transformation• September/October 1995

(

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z

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Page 5 •Transformation• September/October 1995

Betty Cole To Receive Evangeline
Janet Perkins
K Brown Award

T

he 1995 recipient of the
Evangeline K. Brown
Award is Betty Cole of
Colt,Arkansas. Betty is a Women's
Project board member and has
been involved with the Women's
Project since the organization located in Little Rock.
In 1983 Betty Cole became a
Vista Volunteer with ACTION.
She was assigned to the Women's
Project where her responsibilities
included organizing women in the
Delta around issues related to domestic violence, teenage pregnancy and identifying other issues
that needed to be addressed in
rural communities.
Bettyisfromalargefamily,eight
sisters and four brothers who grew
up on a farm, which might explain
Betty's understanding and desire
to work in rural communities.
Betty has seen first hand the needs
of people who live in rural communities and for a long time she has had
a vision to make changes occur. In
the early 70's Betty began working
with the Community Economic
Action Agency, where she says "her
lifelong goals fell into place."
Through this agency Betty developed the skills to work on rural
community economic development
which she has continued to do
throughout her career.
Betty has participated in many
projects, seminars, committees and
boards which have enhanced her
skills and abilities to work in her
community and other communities throughout the state of Arkansas. Betty participated in the

Winthrop Rockefeller Fellows intern program and views the training and support she received
through this program as the fertile
ground out of which the Eldercare
Program she currently directs
grew. The Eldercare program is a
non-profit, community-based organization which provides advocacy
and support for older citizens in
Forrest City, Arkansas. Betty is the
founder and executive director. The
program operates a community center for the elderly, provides home
healthcare, and they are certified as
an elder choice provider.
Betty and the Eldercare Program
were nominated for the Presidential
Ten Points of Light Volunteer of the
Year Award in 1994. Betty was
elected as Arkansas' representative
for the Southwest Society on Aging
Board of Directors from 1990-1993.
Betty co-chaired the Eart Arkansas
Enterprise Zone from 1994-1995.
Recently the East Arkansas Enterprise Community was awarded 3
million dollars through the U.S.Department of Agriculture.
Betty Cole is being honored by
the Women's Project because of
her history of being committed to
changing the status quo. She's
being honored because she will
not take "no" for an answer when
it comes to growth in her community. Bettyhasbeendetermined to
make significant changes on behalf oflow-income and elderly residents in her community, both being the most vulnerable in our
world. Betty is also courageous.
She's accomplished a lot of her

work in her community without
support, and many times with opposition, but this did not deter or
diminish her efforts.
The Women's Projectpresents the
Evangeline K. Brown Award each
year to an individual or organization who has worked to make social
changes in their communities. The
award is named after Mrs. E.K.
Brown of Dermott, Arkansas, who
for over 80 years has believed in
breaking down the barriers of oppression so that others can have a
better life.Mrs. Brownhasstruggled
in Dermott with all kinds of obstacles;winning some battles, losing
some, but never giving up.
The same is true of Betty Cole,
and the Women's Project is proud
to present her with the 1995
Evangeline K. Brown Award. ■

Page 6 • Transfonnation• September/October 1995

Transformatio
Published six times a year
by the Women's Project,
2224 Main Street, Little Rock,
Arkansas, 72206.
Phone: 501-372-5113
Letters to the editor are welcome.
Editor
Lynn Frost
Art Director Melissa Britton James

Women's Project Staff:
Linda Coyle
FeliciaDavidson
Lynn Frost
Janet Perkins
Suzanne Pharr
*

Printed on recycled paper.
©1995 The Women's Project

*

Property of the Center

in Basin Park. Under the
Susan and JainesDeVito of EurekaSprings rally
guise of a "pro-life" rally, they
trying to recruit people to
To Be HonoredAs VolunteersOf The Year were
their cause-mainly
the young

IE

ear vVomen's Project,
Founder of Aryan Nations, Richard Butler,
Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan,
Stanley McCall um, then Chaplain
of the KKK, Thom Robb-names
that would send shock waves
through us and our community.
We learned that in 36 hours they
would be holding a Memorial Day
Conference at the American Legion Hall in Harrison, Arkansas.
My husband James and I knew we
had tospeakoutagainsttheirhate.
I had read something about the
work of the Women's Project and
called them. From my first conversation with staff, I felt we had
support for our convictions. Facing the hatred was frightening,
and, not only did I receive good,
solid advice on a protest, I was
made to feel confident. We successfully organized a peaceful protest where over 75 people stood in
silent vigil, shoulder to shoulder,
holding signs saying, "Stop the
Hate."
That was the beginning of our
networking with the Women's
Project. They were most helpful
in providing material to distribute throughout the community to
show people how to fight racism
in their home town.
The following year the Christian Patriots Convention was
meeting in Eureka Springs. These
people, who are neither Christians
nor Patroits, were in Eureka
Springs to honor the people who
had harbored Gordon Kahl, a
Posse Comitatus member who had

killed two Federal Marshals and
then fled to Arkansas. Once again
the close contact with the Women's
Project provided the support necessary to organize another peaceful vigil.
Our move to Eureka Springs in
1987, to operate the restaurant,
placed us in a community with a

It seems no matter
where you live you
can't escapethe
problemsof today's
society.

large gay and lesbian population.
A ware of homophobic sentiments
in the area, we became more involved with the Women's Watchcare Network. Our focus over the
next few years was geared more to
speaking up for gay and lesbian
rights than speaking out against
white supremacy.
In 1990, however, less than one
block from our restaurant, Thom
Robb (now Grand Wizard of the
KKK) and Ralph Forbes (former
head of the Nazi Party in California and a Republican candidate
for Attorney General in Arkansas) were holding an election-eve

people who frequent the park.
James and I have called in our
support to various cities in the
state where other people are opposing racism. It is very encouraging to know that more and more
people are becoming aware of the
threat hate groups pose and are
speaking up. They need the support from all of us.
By 1994 we were feeling good
about the problems Thom Robb
was having keeping the KKK together. Unfortunately, this year
we were shocked to learn that
many former Klan members had
found a new home in the many
militia groups forming around the
country.
A radical militia group has located in the remote valley where
James and I own a home outside
Eureka Springs. The sounds of
gunfire can be heard from our
house as they target practice in the
valley below.
It seems no matter where you
live you can't escape the problems
of today's society. Events like these
make it important to remember
the words of Niemoller: " ...then
they came for me and by that time
no one was left to speak up".
We are now living in the community of Eureka Springs with a
great network of caring people.
We are deeply grateful for the
Women's Project's efforts for "the
transformation of the world." It
gives us the strength to carry on.

Page 7 •Transformation• September/October 1995

Thank you!
Susan DeVito

BOO KNOTES

eighth novel by one of the Netherlands' leading feminist authors.

WQMEN'S1
PROJECT
~

NEW BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY
Lynn Frost
Juba To Jive: A Dictionary Of African-American Slang, edited by
Clarence Major, is Major's update
of his 1970 classic, Dictionary Of
Afro-American Slang, expanded
to include the latest entries from
the soul and hip hop generations.
"Black speech isn't just a linguistic variation, it's a way of being
and seeing, and this books is a
coded history of black life in
America."
... Voice Literary
Supplement, June 1994
Living In Secret by Christina Salat
is one of the first books to be published for middle-grade readers
about having a lesbian parent. It
examines the dilemma of elevenyear-old Amelia who is not al-

lowed-by her father and by the
court-to live with her mother simply because her mother is a lesbian. Allowed no other real options, Amelia, her mother, and her
mother's lover run away together
to start new lives, choosing to live
in secret rather than to continue to
be separated. Lambda Literary
Award Winner.
Unnatural Mothers by Renate
Dorrestein, "is a heart-breaking
novel about a gifted child's unmet
need for protection from the narcissism, violence and neglect of
her own wounded parents. Renate
Dorrestein's evocation of the savagery lurking just beneath the orderly, placid surface of a small
Dutch town is powerful and chilling." ...Lisa Alther. This is the

Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal
History of Violence in America by
Geoffrey Canada, one of this
country's most powerful and talented advocates for children. At a
time in America when violence is
reaching a peak, Canada's literary
debut brings us an understanding
of how we got to this point and
what can be done to curb the violence in every city and town. "A
,dose of strong medicine for a society locked into death on the installment plan." ...Kirkus Reviews, June 9, 1995.
In These Girls, Hope Is A Muscle
by Madeleine Blais follows a girls'
basketball team, the Lady Hurricanes of Amherst, Mass., through
one season and shows us how
amazing a role sports can play in a
girl's life-not just as a hobby but
as a passion. " ...a book that truly
celebrates and honors girls as athletes."
... Feminist Bookstore
News, May /June 1995.
What Parents Need To Know
About Dating Violence by Barrie
Levy & Patricia Occhiuzzo
Giggans gives straightforward
advice on how to recognize the
warning signs of dating violence,
understand the dynamics of abuse,
strengthen communication and
minimize power struggles with
your teen, and develop safety
plans with your teen to avoid potentially dangerous situations. A

Page 8 •Transformation• September/October 1995

chapter offering support to parents
of gay and lesbian teens in abusive
relationships is also included.
No Disrespect by Sister Souljah The personal and intimate interactions between Sister Souljah and
the seven characters whose names
function as chapter titles in her
book provide the impetus for her
phenomenal growth into a very
intelligent,
successful young
woman. These· interactions are
not without both pain and joy,
two "musts" for personal growth
and
development.
...Liz
Witherspoon, Women's Project
board member
Joining The Tribe: Growing Up
Gay & Lesbian In The '90s by
Linnea Due is a moving portrait
of an endangered community
whose resilience and courage will
inspire gay and straight readers
alike. "Adults have much to learn
from this complex look at a group
of young people, who, despite the
gains of gay liberation, still grow
up very much on their own."
...Kirkus Reviews

Some new magazines available,
but not in our library, are:
DAWN, a newsletter from the Divorced & Widowed Women's Network, which helps women take
charge of their lives. It offers medical, legal & financial advice along
with ways to deal constructively
with grief & loneliness. ($22.50/
yr., 6 issues, Suite G, 455 De Vargas
Center, Santa Fe, NM 87501)

SingleMOTHER, is for the approximately 10 million single
mothers heading households in
the U.S. Promising to be a publication that all single mothers can
benefit from, it provides articles
on health, finances, child psychology, and a section for reader participation. ($11/yr., 6 issues, Just
You & Me Kid Publishing, 11111
Jim Sossoman Rd., Midland, NC
28107)
Ungrateful!, a new zine/newsletter for poor and working class lesbians. It is free to lesbians making
less than $7500 a year and costs up
to $3 for lesbians making more.
For information write to Ungrateful, P.O. Box 7471, Minneapolis,
MN 55407.

The library would love for you
to donate a subscription to these
or any other magazines, journals
or newspapers. Give us a call to
find out what we need.
More new books in the library:
Sister Sa/ ety Pin by Lorrie Sprecher
(Lesbian Novel)
Daughter O/The Goddess: The Sacred Priestess by Naomi Ozaniec
(Spirituality)
Gal: A True Life by Ruthie Bolton
(African-American Biography)
Nun In The Closet by Joanna
Michaels (Lesbian Mystery)
Trouble And Her Friends by Melissa Scott (N. Little Rock native)
(Lesbian Sci-Fi)
In Mad Love And War by Joy Harjo
(Native American Poetry) ■

Page 9 •Transformation• September/October 1995

Women's
Project
Needs
Volunteers!
FRANCES W. PRITCHETT

arly in 1991, when
my retirement was
approaching, I began to consider how I was
going to spend my free time.
I knew that bridge parties
and what I'll call "senior citizen frivolities" were out. I
not only wanted to exercise
my talents and interests, but
I wanted to do so in the company of people who were
dedicating their very lives to
worthwhile goals. I found
such people at the Women's
Project, and they were funloving to boot! Their statement of purpose, "Our Mission," which is printed on
the last page of every newsletter, says it all.
I now spend a few hours
each week helping with library tasks, preparing mailings, clipping articles from
the newspaper or filing. It
gives me so much satisfaction to know that I am contributing to the goals of the
Women's Project,which have
long been mine as well. I
urge all potential volunteers
to "come on in" and get to
work! ■

E

Women's Project

CALENDAR
for September and October 1995

Friday, September 8
Women's Project 14th
Anniversary
Open House & Awards
Presentation
The Evangeline K. Brown Award
will be presented to Betty Cole,
community organizer from Colt,
AR. The Volunteers of the Year
Award will be presented to Susan & James DeVito, Women's
Watchcare Network volunteers
from Eureka Springs. 5-7 p.m. light refreshments.
Saturday, September 9
You are cordially invited for
Drinks & Light Refreshments
to Welcome Kerry Lobel, Deputy
Director of the Nat'l. Gay & Lesbian Task Force, at the home of
Deb Halter, #9 Gunpowder
Court,LittleRock. 7-9p.m. Dress
Casual. No charge to attend, but
this is a fundraiser for NGLTF.

--=

~

test new groups in Memphis. Two
women performing acoustic rock
which will include original songs
as well as favorites from Melissa
Etheridge, The Indigo Girls, k.d.
lang and others. $5 at the door.
Monday, September 25
6-9 p.m. - Little Rock Adult Center
- 6401 West 12th Street.
The Women's Project is sponsoring
the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, Inc. from Fort Smith, Arkansas who will provide a seminar
on breast cancer. Breast cancer
claims the lives of over 400 Arkansas women each year. Women age
65 and older are at greater risk, and
African-American women, young
and old, are at greater risk of dying
from breast cancer.

Tuesday, September 12
Lesbian Network- 7 p.m. -2224
Main St., Little Rock - Topic:
"Butch-Femme" Followup - a
continuation of the lively discussion held last month on the same
topic.

Tuesday, September 26
Lesbian Network -7 p.m. - 2224
Main St., Little Rock - Topic: Summer Reflections. Special guests will
talk about their experiences at various women's festivals and gatherings. Bring your photos and share
your stories with us, too.

Wednesday, September 20
Women's Coffeehouse - 8 p.m. Vino's in Little Rock
The Belle Curves, one of the hot-

Saturday, September 30
2nd Annual Book Swap & Sale 2224 Main St., Little Rock - 9 a.m. 2p.m.

Youcanrentspacefor$5toswap
& sell your own books, come to
shop for used books outside, or
shop inside at the Women's
Project Bookstore with a 15%
discount special on selected
books and on 1996 calendars &
date books.
Tuesday, October 10
Lesbian Network -7 p.m. -2224
Main St., Little Rock - Topic:
Arts & Crafts Night- Bring your
own creations to show and sell.
Exhibitors come to set up at 6:30
p.m.
Saturday, October 14
Alix Dobkin in Concert at
UALR - 8 p.m. - Stella Boyle
Smith Auditorium.
"Alix
Dobkin has been a thunderbolt
in feminist circles since she entered them in the early seventies." -The Washington Blade.
Alix will present one or two
workshops the following week,
on campus at UALR.
Tuesday, October 24
Lesbian Network-7 p.m. - 2224
Main St., Little Rock - Topic:
Lesbians & HIV/ AIDS - A discussion of safe sex for lesbians
will be included.
For information on any of these
events, call 372-5113.

Page 10 •Transformation• September/October 1995

Property of the Center

Univi1(1lr1~f
11l~1f
iiill1lf1l1111I1i11lif
~J1illllf
1~111r.
OK

M 001 111 296

Our Mission...
Our goal is social change or, as the poet Adrienne
Rich writes, "the transformation of the world." We
believe this world can be changed to become a place
of peace and justice for all women.
We take risks in our work; we take unpopular
stands. We work for all women and against all
forms of discrimination and oppression. We believe
that we cannot work for all women and against
sexism unless we also work against racism, classism,
ageism,
anti-Semitism,
heterosexism
and
homophobia. We see the connection among these
oppressions as the context for violence against
women in this society.
We are concerned in particular about issues of

importance to traditionally underrepresented
women: poor women, aged women, women of color,
teenage mothers, lesbians, women in prisons, etc.
All are women who experience discrimination and
violence against their lives.
We are committed to working multi-culturally,
multi-racially, and to making our work and cultural
events accessible to low income women. We believe
that women will not know equality until they know
economic justice.
We believe that a few committed women working
in coalition and in consensus with other women can
make significant change in the quality of life for all
women.

Transformation
is published six times every year.
In each issue, members and volunteers receive analysis of contemporary issues,
information about Women's Project upcoming events and activities, book reviews, and more.
If you are not a Women's Project member or volunteer and would like to continue
receiving the newsletter, please fill out the membership form on this page.

Current Projects
■

Prison Project

A support and advocacy project for women in prison that provides
support groups for battered women in prison, a prisoner-led AIDS
program and a transportation program for the children of
incarcerated mothers.
■

Women's Watchcare Network

A project to monitor and respond to incidents of racial, religious,
sexual, and anti-gay violence; and to provide education and strategies
to counter the activities of hate groups and the Radical Right.
■

The Social Justice Project

Workshops on understanding racism and homophobia and
developing methods to eliminate them; women's economic issues;
organizational development for social change organizations.
■

~ Yes,I wouldliketo join

~ the Women'sProject.
Name __________________
Address _________________

_

City __________________

_

State ______

_

Zip _________

_

Phone/day ________________

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Phone/evening _______________

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□ $ 7.50

□ $ 20

□ $ 50

( low income)

□

□ $100

African-American Women's Institute for Social Justice

A project which creates strategies for overcoming the barriers that
hinder African-American women's efforts toward power and selfdetermination.
■

_

Women and AIDS

A project to develop strategies for working with women and
caregivers around AIDS issues.
■

,------------------7

Communications and Events

A newsletter, a lending library, statewide and regional conferences,
and production of women singers, poets and novelists.

$ 25

Make checks payable to:
Women's Project
2224 Main Street
Little Rock, AR 72206

L __________________

Page 11 •Transformation• September/October

1995

~

Women's
Project

Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Little Rock, Arkansas
Permit No. 448

2224 Main Street
Little Rock, AR 72206

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

HERLAND
SISTER RES.
OKLAHOMA
CITY OK 73112



Property of the Center

;

Vol. 10 Issue 5
September/October1995

INSIDE
Betty Cole To
Receive
Evangeline K.
Brown Award
-page 6
Susan and James
DeVito of Eureka
Springs To Be
Honored As
Volunteers
Of The Year
-page 7
Booknotes
-page 8
Women's Project
Calendar
-page 10

In Our Right Minds
ately, I find myself alternately
suffering from fear, paranoia,
depression and free-floating
anxiety. I'm tired of placing all the
blame on menopause and am beginning to believe I should hand my
estrogen pills out to the men in Congress, the White House, corporate
board rooms, on the street, for that
matter!
I look up from reading a story
about Disney buying out ABC, to the
TV, where I hear a reporter announcing that Westinghouse has just
bought out CBS. Republicans are
pushing for big cuts in PBS and public radio. The House has voted to cut
all funding to the National Endowment for the Arts and the National
Endowment for the Humanities in
two years.
Nearly 250 companies, including
Wal-Mart, Rockwell International,
and Frito-Lay, as well as the United
Auto Workers-GM Human Resource
Center, have established Family Resource Centers for their employees,
complete with audiocassettes, videos, and publications from Focus on
the Family.
I learn that feminist bookstores all
over the country are going out of
business. If I take a trip to New York
City, I will not be able to visit a
feminist bookstore.
These are not symptoms of menopause!

Lynn Frost

Reading the Right
I am often asked why I don't start
a feminist bookstore here in Little
Rock, since I have the experience
and connections as a result of selling
books on a small scale through the
Women's Project. There are many
reasons why such a store could not
be supported in this area, but I also
knew the superstores would eventually come to Little Rock, and come
they have. Books-A-Million haE
opened two stores and Barnes 8,
Noble will open one any day.
These superstores can give customers substantial discounts which
small, independent bookstores cannot, and all over the country, service-oriented independent bookstores are being squeezed out of the
market by corporate chains and
superstores.
With their" Alternative Lifestyles"
sections, there's no question that the
superstores are bringing gay and lesbian books to places that once might
have been completely closed to any
queer literature at all. So why isn't
this cause for unqualified celebration? For one thing, small, independent bookstores, which were once
the sole source of gay and lesbian,
feminist and progressive books, are
finding their very existence challenged by the success of the
superstores.
(continued on page 2)

In Our RightMinds
from page 1
When these alternative bookstores go out of business, we lose
a community resource and a forum for social change. Many feminist bookstores, for example, provide community bulletin boards,
a venue for local writers to read
their work, and are centers for
networking, organizing and cultural work. As much as the
superstores have to offer, they are
not agents of social and political
activism.
Another reason not to celebrate
has to do with which alternative
books are carried by the chain and
superstores. They may be carrying a few books published by small
presses today, but they don't have
a commitment to diversity. They
primarily offer books published
by the mainstream publishing
houses. The fear for many independent booksellers is not just that
they will eventually be forced out
of business, but also that the current diversity in publishing, found
primarily among the smaller
presses, will be lost.
There are practices in the publishing industry which give
superstores an unfair advantage.
According to the Federal Trade
Commission, these stores have
arranged unfair (and illegal) discounts and benefits from publishers that make them "favored retailers." Industry experts estimate
that most small bookstores are
paying fifteen percent more to
publishers than most chain stores.
The American Booksellers Association has brought suit against
five publishers for just such practices. (for more information see
Publishers Weekly, June 6, June 13,
and July 4, 1994)

Certain superstores seal such
deals with publishers before some
"bestseller" titles are even published. Whatdoesthismeanabout
how books are marketed to the
public? The more corporate bookstores control the market, the less
likely it will be that they and the
publishing industry will take risks

on new or controversial authors.
The next generation of authors
with important ideas might never
be found.
According to the Chain Store Age
Executive trade journal, the chairman of Bookstop (a superstore in
Texas and Florida) says that if a
new release does not do well in his
stores in its first few weeks, it is
replaced. Ifwecanonlybuybooks
at chain stores owned by huge
corporations, then we can only
buy the ideas that they ultimately
approve of.
"In the 1970s we used to say
'Freedom of the press belongs to
those who own the presses.' In the
1990s freedom of the press means

the freedom to publish and circulate ideas-including
books.
Whose ideas will be selected for
mass distribution-and
whose
ideas will be excluded as too marginal? What books and ideas will
not be published because there
may cease to be a way to sell
them?" (Carol Seajay, Women's
Review of Books, Dec. 1994)
Public (?) Libraries
There were a total of 760 challenges to school, school library,
and public library materials reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association in 1994. This
represents an 8% increase over
, 1993. The most challenged book
for the second year in a row was
Daddy's Roommate by Michael
Willhoite, a picture book designed
to help children understand that
nontraditional families are loving
too. Other most challenged titles
reflect a continuing concern with
gay materials, witchcraft and the
occult, and sex.
The hub of censorship seems to
be Fairfax County, Virginia. The
furor in Fairfax began early in 1994,
with a one-woman campaign,
waged by Christian housewife
Karen Jo Gounaud, to get the Blade,
a Washingtongaypaper,removed
from the public library system.
Gounaud also checked out all the
gay books she could identify in
the Fairfax system, invited the
press to take pictures of the pile,
refused to return the books and
campaigned for an adults-only
section of the library. Although
the Board of Supervisors voted
against her adults-only proposal,
the library bought $1,100 worth of
anti-gay books (more than 100
volumes) to match those termed
"pro-gay." Many of them discuss

Page 2 • Transformation•September/October 1995

how to "cure" homosexuality.
This spring the library director
nixed what would have been the
11th annual gay-pride exhibit at
one of the branches.
Gounaud, along with Phil
Burress, President of Cincinnati's
Citizens for Community Values
(sponsor of that city's 1993 antigay ballot initiative) have formed
the "America Needs Family
Friendly Libraries" organization.
Their first national meeting, scheduled for October 21st in Cincinnati, will discuss: 1) "the lack of
local control over public library
systems''; 2) the "takeover by the
left-wing policies and politics of
the American Library Association"; and 3) left-leaning library
boards shutting out parental concerns (Culture Watch,July I August
1995).
Control of the Media
There is growing concern that
the distinction between right-wing
and mainstream media is eroding
due to the growing alliance between powerful media corporations and powerful conservative
politicians. Newt Gingrich has
declared that his goal is "reshaping the entire nation through the
newsmedia"(NewYorkTimes,
12/
14/94).
My concern grew to paranoia
when I learned about a poorlyreported series of closed-door
meetings held in Washington, D.C.
in January of this year. Sponsored
by the right-wing Heritage Foundation, they involved the Republican members of the House Commerce Committee (Democrats
were plainly excluded) and the
chief executives of virtually every
leading media and telecommunications firm in the country.
In another closed-door meeting

in Washington on March 6, Newt
Gingrich told corporate leaders
that they should consider an advertising boycott of newspapers
that oppose their views. Gingrich
then told the trade magazine,
Broadcasting & Cable (3/20/95),
that media editorials ought to
match the business interests of

media owners.
If advertisers only supported
pro-business views, and media
commentators and newspersons
always reflected the interests of
their bosses, those who occasionally question corporate power
would be silenced. That's how
Newt Gingrich hopes to reshape
the nation.
As if we don't get enough of
him on the network news and information programs, Gingrich has
his own call-in show, The Progress
Report, on National Empowerment Television (NET), a rightwing cable channel founded by
Paul Weyrich, that describes itself
as "C-SPAN with an attitude." The
Progress and Freedom Founda-

tion,foundedin 1993,underwrites
both Gingrich's weekly call-in program on NET and raises money
for his controversial video college
course, "Renewing American
Civilization."
The foundation,
which has collected nearly $1.7
million, has been supported by
corporations with interests in deregulation like AT&T, BellSouth,
Turner Broadcasting and Cox
Cable Communications.
The conservatives have constructed a truly intimidating media machine, ranging fromnationwide
radio
talkshows
by
Limbaugh and his wannabes, to
dozens of attack magazines, newspapers, newsletters and rightwingopinion columns, to national
cabletelevisionnetworks, to documentary producers who specialize in slick character assassination, to mega-buck publishing
houses. In thepasttwoyearsalone,
through constant repetition, the
machine has focused public anger
on welfare recipients, ghetto residents, immigrant populations and,
most notably, on Bill and Hillary
Clinton.
For years the conservative independent press has been systematically subsidized with millions
of dollars in foundation grants
from the John M. Olin Foundation, the Carthage Foundation, the
Sarah Scaife Foundation,
the
Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Smith-Richardson
Fund, the Adolph Coors Foundation and several others. A search
through foundation grant reports
and other sources of information
revealed that more than $2.7 million in grants went to four magazines from 1990 through 1992: The
American Spectator, The National
Interest, The New Criterion, and The
Public Interest. During the same

Page 3 • Transformation•September/October 1995

period, only $269,500 in private
foundation grants was identified
as going to the four leading progressive publications: TheNation,
Mother Jones,The Progressive,and
In These Times (as reported in Extra!, March/ April 1995).
And what about the current attack on PBS and public radio stations? Could this be about expanding corporate media power
by extending its control over these
valuable frequencies ? These frequencies will be put on the auction block and sold to the highest
bidder. Meetings have already
been held involving Gingrich and
Sen. Larry Pressler with Rupert
MurdochoftheFoxNetwork,John
Malone of TCI and executives from
Bell Atlantic to discuss the carving up of the public airways (Z
Magazine,April 1995).
Then there's the proliferation of
Christian radio and television stations on the air. We might only
stumble over them, cursing, while
we channel surf, but their influence is obvious. In 1992, Pat
Robertson told Christianity Today
(6/22/92), "!believe that [Jesus] is
lord of the government, and the
church and business and education, and, hopefully, one day, lord
of the press." Today his media
domain includes his flagship the
Christian Broadcasting Network
(CBN), the popular Family Channel on cable TV(reaching nearly
60 million homes), a radio news
service called Standard News, and
Zap News, a fax-based news service. Recently he tried to buy the

Houston Post.
Even without all the media exposure, mass membership organizations like the Christian Coalition and Focus on the Family are

able to mobilize efficiently-managed networks for "saturation"
appeals to politicians and advertisers. They use some of the most
sophisticated technology, media
strategies and telecommunications
available. Prior to last November's
election,the Christian Coalition sent
out one of the largest direct mail
appeals ever posted. Many believe
it was that mailing, combined with
appeals from radio talk shows and
pulpits across the country, that
helped influence the outcome of
the election.
And what is the left doing to

balance this bombardment from
the right? Are we linked by a
national strategy? Does each of us
feel we are part of a movement? Is
there a movement organized to
fight this movement to the right?
I am afraid that mass mobilization on a national scale is needed
to turn things around now. There
is no time to start from scratch.
Existinggroupsmustworkincoalition as they never have before.
We need spirited and insightful
leadership. I need an antidepressant! ■

O_rganizations Which Monitor the Right:
DataCenter
Publishers of Culture Watch
46419th St.
Oakland, CA 94612
510/835-4692 Fax 510/835-3017
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State
1816 Jefferson Place, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202/ 466-3234 Fax 202/ 466-2587
Center for Democratic Renewal
P.O. Box 50469
Atlanta, GA 30302
404/221-0025 Fax 404/221-0045
Institute for First Amendment
Studies
P.O. Box 589
Great Barrington, MA 01230
413/528-3800 Fax 413/528-4466
National Gay & Lesbian Task
Force Fight the Right Project
2320 17th St., NW
Washington, DC 20009
202/332-6483 Fax 202/332-0207

People For The American Way
2000 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202/467-4999 Fax 202/293-2672
Political Research Associates
678 Massachusetts Ave., #205
Cambridge, MA 02139
617/661-9313 Fax 617 /661-0059
Fairness & Accuracy in
Reporting (FAIR)
Publishers of Extra!
130 West 25th St.
New York, NY 10001
212/633-6700 Fax 212/727-7668
Nat'l. Coalition Against Censorship
275 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10001
212/807-6222
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation (GLAAD)
150 W. 26th St. Suite 503
New York, NY 10001
212/807-1700 Fax 212/807-1806
Local Chapter: 666-4009

Page 4 •Transformation• September/October 1995

(

r

-<
z

z

Page 5 •Transformation• September/October 1995

Betty Cole To Receive Evangeline
Janet Perkins
K Brown Award

T

he 1995 recipient of the
Evangeline K. Brown
Award is Betty Cole of
Colt,Arkansas. Betty is a Women's
Project board member and has
been involved with the Women's
Project since the organization located in Little Rock.
In 1983 Betty Cole became a
Vista Volunteer with ACTION.
She was assigned to the Women's
Project where her responsibilities
included organizing women in the
Delta around issues related to domestic violence, teenage pregnancy and identifying other issues
that needed to be addressed in
rural communities.
Bettyisfromalargefamily,eight
sisters and four brothers who grew
up on a farm, which might explain
Betty's understanding and desire
to work in rural communities.
Betty has seen first hand the needs
of people who live in rural communities and for a long time she has had
a vision to make changes occur. In
the early 70's Betty began working
with the Community Economic
Action Agency, where she says "her
lifelong goals fell into place."
Through this agency Betty developed the skills to work on rural
community economic development
which she has continued to do
throughout her career.
Betty has participated in many
projects, seminars, committees and
boards which have enhanced her
skills and abilities to work in her
community and other communities throughout the state of Arkansas. Betty participated in the

Winthrop Rockefeller Fellows intern program and views the training and support she received
through this program as the fertile
ground out of which the Eldercare
Program she currently directs
grew. The Eldercare program is a
non-profit, community-based organization which provides advocacy
and support for older citizens in
Forrest City, Arkansas. Betty is the
founder and executive director. The
program operates a community center for the elderly, provides home
healthcare, and they are certified as
an elder choice provider.
Betty and the Eldercare Program
were nominated for the Presidential
Ten Points of Light Volunteer of the
Year Award in 1994. Betty was
elected as Arkansas' representative
for the Southwest Society on Aging
Board of Directors from 1990-1993.
Betty co-chaired the Eart Arkansas
Enterprise Zone from 1994-1995.
Recently the East Arkansas Enterprise Community was awarded 3
million dollars through the U.S.Department of Agriculture.
Betty Cole is being honored by
the Women's Project because of
her history of being committed to
changing the status quo. She's
being honored because she will
not take "no" for an answer when
it comes to growth in her community. Bettyhasbeendetermined to
make significant changes on behalf oflow-income and elderly residents in her community, both being the most vulnerable in our
world. Betty is also courageous.
She's accomplished a lot of her

work in her community without
support, and many times with opposition, but this did not deter or
diminish her efforts.
The Women's Projectpresents the
Evangeline K. Brown Award each
year to an individual or organization who has worked to make social
changes in their communities. The
award is named after Mrs. E.K.
Brown of Dermott, Arkansas, who
for over 80 years has believed in
breaking down the barriers of oppression so that others can have a
better life.Mrs. Brownhasstruggled
in Dermott with all kinds of obstacles;winning some battles, losing
some, but never giving up.
The same is true of Betty Cole,
and the Women's Project is proud
to present her with the 1995
Evangeline K. Brown Award. ■

Page 6 • Transfonnation• September/October 1995

Transformatio
Published six times a year
by the Women's Project,
2224 Main Street, Little Rock,
Arkansas, 72206.
Phone: 501-372-5113
Letters to the editor are welcome.
Editor
Lynn Frost
Art Director Melissa Britton James

Women's Project Staff:
Linda Coyle
FeliciaDavidson
Lynn Frost
Janet Perkins
Suzanne Pharr
*

Printed on recycled paper.
©1995 The Women's Project

*

Property of the Center

in Basin Park. Under the
Susan and JainesDeVito of EurekaSprings rally
guise of a "pro-life" rally, they
trying to recruit people to
To Be HonoredAs VolunteersOf The Year were
their cause-mainly
the young

IE

ear vVomen's Project,
Founder of Aryan Nations, Richard Butler,
Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan,
Stanley McCall um, then Chaplain
of the KKK, Thom Robb-names
that would send shock waves
through us and our community.
We learned that in 36 hours they
would be holding a Memorial Day
Conference at the American Legion Hall in Harrison, Arkansas.
My husband James and I knew we
had tospeakoutagainsttheirhate.
I had read something about the
work of the Women's Project and
called them. From my first conversation with staff, I felt we had
support for our convictions. Facing the hatred was frightening,
and, not only did I receive good,
solid advice on a protest, I was
made to feel confident. We successfully organized a peaceful protest where over 75 people stood in
silent vigil, shoulder to shoulder,
holding signs saying, "Stop the
Hate."
That was the beginning of our
networking with the Women's
Project. They were most helpful
in providing material to distribute throughout the community to
show people how to fight racism
in their home town.
The following year the Christian Patriots Convention was
meeting in Eureka Springs. These
people, who are neither Christians
nor Patroits, were in Eureka
Springs to honor the people who
had harbored Gordon Kahl, a
Posse Comitatus member who had

killed two Federal Marshals and
then fled to Arkansas. Once again
the close contact with the Women's
Project provided the support necessary to organize another peaceful vigil.
Our move to Eureka Springs in
1987, to operate the restaurant,
placed us in a community with a

It seems no matter
where you live you
can't escapethe
problemsof today's
society.

large gay and lesbian population.
A ware of homophobic sentiments
in the area, we became more involved with the Women's Watchcare Network. Our focus over the
next few years was geared more to
speaking up for gay and lesbian
rights than speaking out against
white supremacy.
In 1990, however, less than one
block from our restaurant, Thom
Robb (now Grand Wizard of the
KKK) and Ralph Forbes (former
head of the Nazi Party in California and a Republican candidate
for Attorney General in Arkansas) were holding an election-eve

people who frequent the park.
James and I have called in our
support to various cities in the
state where other people are opposing racism. It is very encouraging to know that more and more
people are becoming aware of the
threat hate groups pose and are
speaking up. They need the support from all of us.
By 1994 we were feeling good
about the problems Thom Robb
was having keeping the KKK together. Unfortunately, this year
we were shocked to learn that
many former Klan members had
found a new home in the many
militia groups forming around the
country.
A radical militia group has located in the remote valley where
James and I own a home outside
Eureka Springs. The sounds of
gunfire can be heard from our
house as they target practice in the
valley below.
It seems no matter where you
live you can't escape the problems
of today's society. Events like these
make it important to remember
the words of Niemoller: " ...then
they came for me and by that time
no one was left to speak up".
We are now living in the community of Eureka Springs with a
great network of caring people.
We are deeply grateful for the
Women's Project's efforts for "the
transformation of the world." It
gives us the strength to carry on.

Page 7 •Transformation• September/October 1995

Thank you!
Susan DeVito

BOO KNOTES

eighth novel by one of the Netherlands' leading feminist authors.

WQMEN'S1
PROJECT
~

NEW BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY
Lynn Frost
Juba To Jive: A Dictionary Of African-American Slang, edited by
Clarence Major, is Major's update
of his 1970 classic, Dictionary Of
Afro-American Slang, expanded
to include the latest entries from
the soul and hip hop generations.
"Black speech isn't just a linguistic variation, it's a way of being
and seeing, and this books is a
coded history of black life in
America."
... Voice Literary
Supplement, June 1994
Living In Secret by Christina Salat
is one of the first books to be published for middle-grade readers
about having a lesbian parent. It
examines the dilemma of elevenyear-old Amelia who is not al-

lowed-by her father and by the
court-to live with her mother simply because her mother is a lesbian. Allowed no other real options, Amelia, her mother, and her
mother's lover run away together
to start new lives, choosing to live
in secret rather than to continue to
be separated. Lambda Literary
Award Winner.
Unnatural Mothers by Renate
Dorrestein, "is a heart-breaking
novel about a gifted child's unmet
need for protection from the narcissism, violence and neglect of
her own wounded parents. Renate
Dorrestein's evocation of the savagery lurking just beneath the orderly, placid surface of a small
Dutch town is powerful and chilling." ...Lisa Alther. This is the

Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal
History of Violence in America by
Geoffrey Canada, one of this
country's most powerful and talented advocates for children. At a
time in America when violence is
reaching a peak, Canada's literary
debut brings us an understanding
of how we got to this point and
what can be done to curb the violence in every city and town. "A
,dose of strong medicine for a society locked into death on the installment plan." ...Kirkus Reviews, June 9, 1995.
In These Girls, Hope Is A Muscle
by Madeleine Blais follows a girls'
basketball team, the Lady Hurricanes of Amherst, Mass., through
one season and shows us how
amazing a role sports can play in a
girl's life-not just as a hobby but
as a passion. " ...a book that truly
celebrates and honors girls as athletes."
... Feminist Bookstore
News, May /June 1995.
What Parents Need To Know
About Dating Violence by Barrie
Levy & Patricia Occhiuzzo
Giggans gives straightforward
advice on how to recognize the
warning signs of dating violence,
understand the dynamics of abuse,
strengthen communication and
minimize power struggles with
your teen, and develop safety
plans with your teen to avoid potentially dangerous situations. A

Page 8 •Transformation• September/October 1995

chapter offering support to parents
of gay and lesbian teens in abusive
relationships is also included.
No Disrespect by Sister Souljah The personal and intimate interactions between Sister Souljah and
the seven characters whose names
function as chapter titles in her
book provide the impetus for her
phenomenal growth into a very
intelligent,
successful young
woman. These· interactions are
not without both pain and joy,
two "musts" for personal growth
and
development.
...Liz
Witherspoon, Women's Project
board member
Joining The Tribe: Growing Up
Gay & Lesbian In The '90s by
Linnea Due is a moving portrait
of an endangered community
whose resilience and courage will
inspire gay and straight readers
alike. "Adults have much to learn
from this complex look at a group
of young people, who, despite the
gains of gay liberation, still grow
up very much on their own."
...Kirkus Reviews

Some new magazines available,
but not in our library, are:
DAWN, a newsletter from the Divorced & Widowed Women's Network, which helps women take
charge of their lives. It offers medical, legal & financial advice along
with ways to deal constructively
with grief & loneliness. ($22.50/
yr., 6 issues, Suite G, 455 De Vargas
Center, Santa Fe, NM 87501)

SingleMOTHER, is for the approximately 10 million single
mothers heading households in
the U.S. Promising to be a publication that all single mothers can
benefit from, it provides articles
on health, finances, child psychology, and a section for reader participation. ($11/yr., 6 issues, Just
You & Me Kid Publishing, 11111
Jim Sossoman Rd., Midland, NC
28107)
Ungrateful!, a new zine/newsletter for poor and working class lesbians. It is free to lesbians making
less than $7500 a year and costs up
to $3 for lesbians making more.
For information write to Ungrateful, P.O. Box 7471, Minneapolis,
MN 55407.

The library would love for you
to donate a subscription to these
or any other magazines, journals
or newspapers. Give us a call to
find out what we need.
More new books in the library:
Sister Sa/ ety Pin by Lorrie Sprecher
(Lesbian Novel)
Daughter O/The Goddess: The Sacred Priestess by Naomi Ozaniec
(Spirituality)
Gal: A True Life by Ruthie Bolton
(African-American Biography)
Nun In The Closet by Joanna
Michaels (Lesbian Mystery)
Trouble And Her Friends by Melissa Scott (N. Little Rock native)
(Lesbian Sci-Fi)
In Mad Love And War by Joy Harjo
(Native American Poetry) ■

Page 9 •Transformation• September/October 1995

Women's
Project
Needs
Volunteers!
FRANCES W. PRITCHETT

arly in 1991, when
my retirement was
approaching, I began to consider how I was
going to spend my free time.
I knew that bridge parties
and what I'll call "senior citizen frivolities" were out. I
not only wanted to exercise
my talents and interests, but
I wanted to do so in the company of people who were
dedicating their very lives to
worthwhile goals. I found
such people at the Women's
Project, and they were funloving to boot! Their statement of purpose, "Our Mission," which is printed on
the last page of every newsletter, says it all.
I now spend a few hours
each week helping with library tasks, preparing mailings, clipping articles from
the newspaper or filing. It
gives me so much satisfaction to know that I am contributing to the goals of the
Women's Project,which have
long been mine as well. I
urge all potential volunteers
to "come on in" and get to
work! ■

E

Women's Project

CALENDAR
for September and October 1995

Friday, September 8
Women's Project 14th
Anniversary
Open House & Awards
Presentation
The Evangeline K. Brown Award
will be presented to Betty Cole,
community organizer from Colt,
AR. The Volunteers of the Year
Award will be presented to Susan & James DeVito, Women's
Watchcare Network volunteers
from Eureka Springs. 5-7 p.m. light refreshments.
Saturday, September 9
You are cordially invited for
Drinks & Light Refreshments
to Welcome Kerry Lobel, Deputy
Director of the Nat'l. Gay & Lesbian Task Force, at the home of
Deb Halter, #9 Gunpowder
Court,LittleRock. 7-9p.m. Dress
Casual. No charge to attend, but
this is a fundraiser for NGLTF.

--=

~

test new groups in Memphis. Two
women performing acoustic rock
which will include original songs
as well as favorites from Melissa
Etheridge, The Indigo Girls, k.d.
lang and others. $5 at the door.
Monday, September 25
6-9 p.m. - Little Rock Adult Center
- 6401 West 12th Street.
The Women's Project is sponsoring
the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, Inc. from Fort Smith, Arkansas who will provide a seminar
on breast cancer. Breast cancer
claims the lives of over 400 Arkansas women each year. Women age
65 and older are at greater risk, and
African-American women, young
and old, are at greater risk of dying
from breast cancer.

Tuesday, September 12
Lesbian Network- 7 p.m. -2224
Main St., Little Rock - Topic:
"Butch-Femme" Followup - a
continuation of the lively discussion held last month on the same
topic.

Tuesday, September 26
Lesbian Network -7 p.m. - 2224
Main St., Little Rock - Topic: Summer Reflections. Special guests will
talk about their experiences at various women's festivals and gatherings. Bring your photos and share
your stories with us, too.

Wednesday, September 20
Women's Coffeehouse - 8 p.m. Vino's in Little Rock
The Belle Curves, one of the hot-

Saturday, September 30
2nd Annual Book Swap & Sale 2224 Main St., Little Rock - 9 a.m. 2p.m.

Youcanrentspacefor$5toswap
& sell your own books, come to
shop for used books outside, or
shop inside at the Women's
Project Bookstore with a 15%
discount special on selected
books and on 1996 calendars &
date books.
Tuesday, October 10
Lesbian Network -7 p.m. -2224
Main St., Little Rock - Topic:
Arts & Crafts Night- Bring your
own creations to show and sell.
Exhibitors come to set up at 6:30
p.m.
Saturday, October 14
Alix Dobkin in Concert at
UALR - 8 p.m. - Stella Boyle
Smith Auditorium.
"Alix
Dobkin has been a thunderbolt
in feminist circles since she entered them in the early seventies." -The Washington Blade.
Alix will present one or two
workshops the following week,
on campus at UALR.
Tuesday, October 24
Lesbian Network-7 p.m. - 2224
Main St., Little Rock - Topic:
Lesbians & HIV/ AIDS - A discussion of safe sex for lesbians
will be included.
For information on any of these
events, call 372-5113.

Page 10 •Transformation• September/October 1995

Property of the Center

Univi1(1lr1~f
11l~1f
iiill1lf1l1111I1i11lif
~J1illllf
1~111r.
OK

M 001 111 296

Our Mission...
Our goal is social change or, as the poet Adrienne
Rich writes, "the transformation of the world." We
believe this world can be changed to become a place
of peace and justice for all women.
We take risks in our work; we take unpopular
stands. We work for all women and against all
forms of discrimination and oppression. We believe
that we cannot work for all women and against
sexism unless we also work against racism, classism,
ageism,
anti-Semitism,
heterosexism
and
homophobia. We see the connection among these
oppressions as the context for violence against
women in this society.
We are concerned in particular about issues of

importance to traditionally underrepresented
women: poor women, aged women, women of color,
teenage mothers, lesbians, women in prisons, etc.
All are women who experience discrimination and
violence against their lives.
We are committed to working multi-culturally,
multi-racially, and to making our work and cultural
events accessible to low income women. We believe
that women will not know equality until they know
economic justice.
We believe that a few committed women working
in coalition and in consensus with other women can
make significant change in the quality of life for all
women.

Transformation
is published six times every year.
In each issue, members and volunteers receive analysis of contemporary issues,
information about Women's Project upcoming events and activities, book reviews, and more.
If you are not a Women's Project member or volunteer and would like to continue
receiving the newsletter, please fill out the membership form on this page.

Current Projects
■

Prison Project

A support and advocacy project for women in prison that provides
support groups for battered women in prison, a prisoner-led AIDS
program and a transportation program for the children of
incarcerated mothers.
■

Women's Watchcare Network

A project to monitor and respond to incidents of racial, religious,
sexual, and anti-gay violence; and to provide education and strategies
to counter the activities of hate groups and the Radical Right.
■

The Social Justice Project

Workshops on understanding racism and homophobia and
developing methods to eliminate them; women's economic issues;
organizational development for social change organizations.
■

~ Yes,I wouldliketo join

~ the Women'sProject.
Name __________________
Address _________________

_

City __________________

_

State ______

_

Zip _________

_

Phone/day ________________

_

Phone/evening _______________

_

□ $ 7.50

□ $ 20

□ $ 50

( low income)

□

□ $100

African-American Women's Institute for Social Justice

A project which creates strategies for overcoming the barriers that
hinder African-American women's efforts toward power and selfdetermination.
■

_

Women and AIDS

A project to develop strategies for working with women and
caregivers around AIDS issues.
■

,------------------7

Communications and Events

A newsletter, a lending library, statewide and regional conferences,
and production of women singers, poets and novelists.

$ 25

Make checks payable to:
Women's Project
2224 Main Street
Little Rock, AR 72206

L __________________

Page 11 •Transformation• September/October

1995

~

Women's
Project

Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Little Rock, Arkansas
Permit No. 448

2224 Main Street
Little Rock, AR 72206

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

HERLAND
SISTER RES.
OKLAHOMA
CITY OK 73112



Property of the Center

;

Vol. 10 Issue 5
September/October1995

INSIDE
Betty Cole To
Receive
Evangeline K.
Brown Award
-page 6
Susan and James
DeVito of Eureka
Springs To Be
Honored As
Volunteers
Of The Year
-page 7
Booknotes
-page 8
Women's Project
Calendar
-page 10

In Our Right Minds
ately, I find myself alternately
suffering from fear, paranoia,
depression and free-floating
anxiety. I'm tired of placing all the
blame on menopause and am beginning to believe I should hand my
estrogen pills out to the men in Congress, the White House, corporate
board rooms, on the street, for that
matter!
I look up from reading a story
about Disney buying out ABC, to the
TV, where I hear a reporter announcing that Westinghouse has just
bought out CBS. Republicans are
pushing for big cuts in PBS and public radio. The House has voted to cut
all funding to the National Endowment for the Arts and the National
Endowment for the Humanities in
two years.
Nearly 250 companies, including
Wal-Mart, Rockwell International,
and Frito-Lay, as well as the United
Auto Workers-GM Human Resource
Center, have established Family Resource Centers for their employees,
complete with audiocassettes, videos, and publications from Focus on
the Family.
I learn that feminist bookstores all
over the country are going out of
business. If I take a trip to New York
City, I will not be able to visit a
feminist bookstore.
These are not symptoms of menopause!

Lynn Frost

Reading the Right
I am often asked why I don't start
a feminist bookstore here in Little
Rock, since I have the experience
and connections as a result of selling
books on a small scale through the
Women's Project. There are many
reasons why such a store could not
be supported in this area, but I also
knew the superstores would eventually come to Little Rock, and come
they have. Books-A-Million haE
opened two stores and Barnes 8,
Noble will open one any day.
These superstores can give customers substantial discounts which
small, independent bookstores cannot, and all over the country, service-oriented independent bookstores are being squeezed out of the
market by corporate chains and
superstores.
With their" Alternative Lifestyles"
sections, there's no question that the
superstores are bringing gay and lesbian books to places that once might
have been completely closed to any
queer literature at all. So why isn't
this cause for unqualified celebration? For one thing, small, independent bookstores, which were once
the sole source of gay and lesbian,
feminist and progressive books, are
finding their very existence challenged by the success of the
superstores.
(continued on page 2)

In Our RightMinds
from page 1
When these alternative bookstores go out of business, we lose
a community resource and a forum for social change. Many feminist bookstores, for example, provide community bulletin boards,
a venue for local writers to read
their work, and are centers for
networking, organizing and cultural work. As much as the
superstores have to offer, they are
not agents of social and political
activism.
Another reason not to celebrate
has to do with which alternative
books are carried by the chain and
superstores. They may be carrying a few books published by small
presses today, but they don't have
a commitment to diversity. They
primarily offer books published
by the mainstream publishing
houses. The fear for many independent booksellers is not just that
they will eventually be forced out
of business, but also that the current diversity in publishing, found
primarily among the smaller
presses, will be lost.
There are practices in the publishing industry which give
superstores an unfair advantage.
According to the Federal Trade
Commission, these stores have
arranged unfair (and illegal) discounts and benefits from publishers that make them "favored retailers." Industry experts estimate
that most small bookstores are
paying fifteen percent more to
publishers than most chain stores.
The American Booksellers Association has brought suit against
five publishers for just such practices. (for more information see
Publishers Weekly, June 6, June 13,
and July 4, 1994)

Certain superstores seal such
deals with publishers before some
"bestseller" titles are even published. Whatdoesthismeanabout
how books are marketed to the
public? The more corporate bookstores control the market, the less
likely it will be that they and the
publishing industry will take risks

on new or controversial authors.
The next generation of authors
with important ideas might never
be found.
According to the Chain Store Age
Executive trade journal, the chairman of Bookstop (a superstore in
Texas and Florida) says that if a
new release does not do well in his
stores in its first few weeks, it is
replaced. Ifwecanonlybuybooks
at chain stores owned by huge
corporations, then we can only
buy the ideas that they ultimately
approve of.
"In the 1970s we used to say
'Freedom of the press belongs to
those who own the presses.' In the
1990s freedom of the press means

the freedom to publish and circulate ideas-including
books.
Whose ideas will be selected for
mass distribution-and
whose
ideas will be excluded as too marginal? What books and ideas will
not be published because there
may cease to be a way to sell
them?" (Carol Seajay, Women's
Review of Books, Dec. 1994)
Public (?) Libraries
There were a total of 760 challenges to school, school library,
and public library materials reported to the Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association in 1994. This
represents an 8% increase over
, 1993. The most challenged book
for the second year in a row was
Daddy's Roommate by Michael
Willhoite, a picture book designed
to help children understand that
nontraditional families are loving
too. Other most challenged titles
reflect a continuing concern with
gay materials, witchcraft and the
occult, and sex.
The hub of censorship seems to
be Fairfax County, Virginia. The
furor in Fairfax began early in 1994,
with a one-woman campaign,
waged by Christian housewife
Karen Jo Gounaud, to get the Blade,
a Washingtongaypaper,removed
from the public library system.
Gounaud also checked out all the
gay books she could identify in
the Fairfax system, invited the
press to take pictures of the pile,
refused to return the books and
campaigned for an adults-only
section of the library. Although
the Board of Supervisors voted
against her adults-only proposal,
the library bought $1,100 worth of
anti-gay books (more than 100
volumes) to match those termed
"pro-gay." Many of them discuss

Page 2 • Transformation•September/October 1995

how to "cure" homosexuality.
This spring the library director
nixed what would have been the
11th annual gay-pride exhibit at
one of the branches.
Gounaud, along with Phil
Burress, President of Cincinnati's
Citizens for Community Values
(sponsor of that city's 1993 antigay ballot initiative) have formed
the "America Needs Family
Friendly Libraries" organization.
Their first national meeting, scheduled for October 21st in Cincinnati, will discuss: 1) "the lack of
local control over public library
systems''; 2) the "takeover by the
left-wing policies and politics of
the American Library Association"; and 3) left-leaning library
boards shutting out parental concerns (Culture Watch,July I August
1995).
Control of the Media
There is growing concern that
the distinction between right-wing
and mainstream media is eroding
due to the growing alliance between powerful media corporations and powerful conservative
politicians. Newt Gingrich has
declared that his goal is "reshaping the entire nation through the
newsmedia"(NewYorkTimes,
12/
14/94).
My concern grew to paranoia
when I learned about a poorlyreported series of closed-door
meetings held in Washington, D.C.
in January of this year. Sponsored
by the right-wing Heritage Foundation, they involved the Republican members of the House Commerce Committee (Democrats
were plainly excluded) and the
chief executives of virtually every
leading media and telecommunications firm in the country.
In another closed-door meeting

in Washington on March 6, Newt
Gingrich told corporate leaders
that they should consider an advertising boycott of newspapers
that oppose their views. Gingrich
then told the trade magazine,
Broadcasting & Cable (3/20/95),
that media editorials ought to
match the business interests of

media owners.
If advertisers only supported
pro-business views, and media
commentators and newspersons
always reflected the interests of
their bosses, those who occasionally question corporate power
would be silenced. That's how
Newt Gingrich hopes to reshape
the nation.
As if we don't get enough of
him on the network news and information programs, Gingrich has
his own call-in show, The Progress
Report, on National Empowerment Television (NET), a rightwing cable channel founded by
Paul Weyrich, that describes itself
as "C-SPAN with an attitude." The
Progress and Freedom Founda-

tion,foundedin 1993,underwrites
both Gingrich's weekly call-in program on NET and raises money
for his controversial video college
course, "Renewing American
Civilization."
The foundation,
which has collected nearly $1.7
million, has been supported by
corporations with interests in deregulation like AT&T, BellSouth,
Turner Broadcasting and Cox
Cable Communications.
The conservatives have constructed a truly intimidating media machine, ranging fromnationwide
radio
talkshows
by
Limbaugh and his wannabes, to
dozens of attack magazines, newspapers, newsletters and rightwingopinion columns, to national
cabletelevisionnetworks, to documentary producers who specialize in slick character assassination, to mega-buck publishing
houses. In thepasttwoyearsalone,
through constant repetition, the
machine has focused public anger
on welfare recipients, ghetto residents, immigrant populations and,
most notably, on Bill and Hillary
Clinton.
For years the conservative independent press has been systematically subsidized with millions
of dollars in foundation grants
from the John M. Olin Foundation, the Carthage Foundation, the
Sarah Scaife Foundation,
the
Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Smith-Richardson
Fund, the Adolph Coors Foundation and several others. A search
through foundation grant reports
and other sources of information
revealed that more than $2.7 million in grants went to four magazines from 1990 through 1992: The
American Spectator, The National
Interest, The New Criterion, and The
Public Interest. During the same

Page 3 • Transformation•September/October 1995

period, only $269,500 in private
foundation grants was identified
as going to the four leading progressive publications: TheNation,
Mother Jones,The Progressive,and
In These Times (as reported in Extra!, March/ April 1995).
And what about the current attack on PBS and public radio stations? Could this be about expanding corporate media power
by extending its control over these
valuable frequencies ? These frequencies will be put on the auction block and sold to the highest
bidder. Meetings have already
been held involving Gingrich and
Sen. Larry Pressler with Rupert
MurdochoftheFoxNetwork,John
Malone of TCI and executives from
Bell Atlantic to discuss the carving up of the public airways (Z
Magazine,April 1995).
Then there's the proliferation of
Christian radio and television stations on the air. We might only
stumble over them, cursing, while
we channel surf, but their influence is obvious. In 1992, Pat
Robertson told Christianity Today
(6/22/92), "!believe that [Jesus] is
lord of the government, and the
church and business and education, and, hopefully, one day, lord
of the press." Today his media
domain includes his flagship the
Christian Broadcasting Network
(CBN), the popular Family Channel on cable TV(reaching nearly
60 million homes), a radio news
service called Standard News, and
Zap News, a fax-based news service. Recently he tried to buy the

Houston Post.
Even without all the media exposure, mass membership organizations like the Christian Coalition and Focus on the Family are

able to mobilize efficiently-managed networks for "saturation"
appeals to politicians and advertisers. They use some of the most
sophisticated technology, media
strategies and telecommunications
available. Prior to last November's
election,the Christian Coalition sent
out one of the largest direct mail
appeals ever posted. Many believe
it was that mailing, combined with
appeals from radio talk shows and
pulpits across the country, that
helped influence the outcome of
the election.
And what is the left doing to

balance this bombardment from
the right? Are we linked by a
national strategy? Does each of us
feel we are part of a movement? Is
there a movement organized to
fight this movement to the right?
I am afraid that mass mobilization on a national scale is needed
to turn things around now. There
is no time to start from scratch.
Existinggroupsmustworkincoalition as they never have before.
We need spirited and insightful
leadership. I need an antidepressant! ■

O_rganizations Which Monitor the Right:
DataCenter
Publishers of Culture Watch
46419th St.
Oakland, CA 94612
510/835-4692 Fax 510/835-3017
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State
1816 Jefferson Place, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202/ 466-3234 Fax 202/ 466-2587
Center for Democratic Renewal
P.O. Box 50469
Atlanta, GA 30302
404/221-0025 Fax 404/221-0045
Institute for First Amendment
Studies
P.O. Box 589
Great Barrington, MA 01230
413/528-3800 Fax 413/528-4466
National Gay & Lesbian Task
Force Fight the Right Project
2320 17th St., NW
Washington, DC 20009
202/332-6483 Fax 202/332-0207

People For The American Way
2000 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
202/467-4999 Fax 202/293-2672
Political Research Associates
678 Massachusetts Ave., #205
Cambridge, MA 02139
617/661-9313 Fax 617 /661-0059
Fairness & Accuracy in
Reporting (FAIR)
Publishers of Extra!
130 West 25th St.
New York, NY 10001
212/633-6700 Fax 212/727-7668
Nat'l. Coalition Against Censorship
275 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10001
212/807-6222
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation (GLAAD)
150 W. 26th St. Suite 503
New York, NY 10001
212/807-1700 Fax 212/807-1806
Local Chapter: 666-4009

Page 4 •Transformation• September/October 1995

(

r

-<
z

z

Page 5 •Transformation• September/October 1995

Betty Cole To Receive Evangeline
Janet Perkins
K Brown Award

T

he 1995 recipient of the
Evangeline K. Brown
Award is Betty Cole of
Colt,Arkansas. Betty is a Women's
Project board member and has
been involved with the Women's
Project since the organization located in Little Rock.
In 1983 Betty Cole became a
Vista Volunteer with ACTION.
She was assigned to the Women's
Project where her responsibilities
included organizing women in the
Delta around issues related to domestic violence, teenage pregnancy and identifying other issues
that needed to be addressed in
rural communities.
Bettyisfromalargefamily,eight
sisters and four brothers who grew
up on a farm, which might explain
Betty's understanding and desire
to work in rural communities.
Betty has seen first hand the needs
of people who live in rural communities and for a long time she has had
a vision to make changes occur. In
the early 70's Betty began working
with the Community Economic
Action Agency, where she says "her
lifelong goals fell into place."
Through this agency Betty developed the skills to work on rural
community economic development
which she has continued to do
throughout her career.
Betty has participated in many
projects, seminars, committees and
boards which have enhanced her
skills and abilities to work in her
community and other communities throughout the state of Arkansas. Betty participated in the

Winthrop Rockefeller Fellows intern program and views the training and support she received
through this program as the fertile
ground out of which the Eldercare
Program she currently directs
grew. The Eldercare program is a
non-profit, community-based organization which provides advocacy
and support for older citizens in
Forrest City, Arkansas. Betty is the
founder and executive director. The
program operates a community center for the elderly, provides home
healthcare, and they are certified as
an elder choice provider.
Betty and the Eldercare Program
were nominated for the Presidential
Ten Points of Light Volunteer of the
Year Award in 1994. Betty was
elected as Arkansas' representative
for the Southwest Society on Aging
Board of Directors from 1990-1993.
Betty co-chaired the Eart Arkansas
Enterprise Zone from 1994-1995.
Recently the East Arkansas Enterprise Community was awarded 3
million dollars through the U.S.Department of Agriculture.
Betty Cole is being honored by
the Women's Project because of
her history of being committed to
changing the status quo. She's
being honored because she will
not take "no" for an answer when
it comes to growth in her community. Bettyhasbeendetermined to
make significant changes on behalf oflow-income and elderly residents in her community, both being the most vulnerable in our
world. Betty is also courageous.
She's accomplished a lot of her

work in her community without
support, and many times with opposition, but this did not deter or
diminish her efforts.
The Women's Projectpresents the
Evangeline K. Brown Award each
year to an individual or organization who has worked to make social
changes in their communities. The
award is named after Mrs. E.K.
Brown of Dermott, Arkansas, who
for over 80 years has believed in
breaking down the barriers of oppression so that others can have a
better life.Mrs. Brownhasstruggled
in Dermott with all kinds of obstacles;winning some battles, losing
some, but never giving up.
The same is true of Betty Cole,
and the Women's Project is proud
to present her with the 1995
Evangeline K. Brown Award. ■

Page 6 • Transfonnation• September/October 1995

Transformatio
Published six times a year
by the Women's Project,
2224 Main Street, Little Rock,
Arkansas, 72206.
Phone: 501-372-5113
Letters to the editor are welcome.
Editor
Lynn Frost
Art Director Melissa Britton James

Women's Project Staff:
Linda Coyle
FeliciaDavidson
Lynn Frost
Janet Perkins
Suzanne Pharr
*

Printed on recycled paper.
©1995 The Women's Project

*

Property of the Center

in Basin Park. Under the
Susan and JainesDeVito of EurekaSprings rally
guise of a "pro-life" rally, they
trying to recruit people to
To Be HonoredAs VolunteersOf The Year were
their cause-mainly
the young

IE

ear vVomen's Project,
Founder of Aryan Nations, Richard Butler,
Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan,
Stanley McCall um, then Chaplain
of the KKK, Thom Robb-names
that would send shock waves
through us and our community.
We learned that in 36 hours they
would be holding a Memorial Day
Conference at the American Legion Hall in Harrison, Arkansas.
My husband James and I knew we
had tospeakoutagainsttheirhate.
I had read something about the
work of the Women's Project and
called them. From my first conversation with staff, I felt we had
support for our convictions. Facing the hatred was frightening,
and, not only did I receive good,
solid advice on a protest, I was
made to feel confident. We successfully organized a peaceful protest where over 75 people stood in
silent vigil, shoulder to shoulder,
holding signs saying, "Stop the
Hate."
That was the beginning of our
networking with the Women's
Project. They were most helpful
in providing material to distribute throughout the community to
show people how to fight racism
in their home town.
The following year the Christian Patriots Convention was
meeting in Eureka Springs. These
people, who are neither Christians
nor Patroits, were in Eureka
Springs to honor the people who
had harbored Gordon Kahl, a
Posse Comitatus member who had

killed two Federal Marshals and
then fled to Arkansas. Once again
the close contact with the Women's
Project provided the support necessary to organize another peaceful vigil.
Our move to Eureka Springs in
1987, to operate the restaurant,
placed us in a community with a

It seems no matter
where you live you
can't escapethe
problemsof today's
society.

large gay and lesbian population.
A ware of homophobic sentiments
in the area, we became more involved with the Women's Watchcare Network. Our focus over the
next few years was geared more to
speaking up for gay and lesbian
rights than speaking out against
white supremacy.
In 1990, however, less than one
block from our restaurant, Thom
Robb (now Grand Wizard of the
KKK) and Ralph Forbes (former
head of the Nazi Party in California and a Republican candidate
for Attorney General in Arkansas) were holding an election-eve

people who frequent the park.
James and I have called in our
support to various cities in the
state where other people are opposing racism. It is very encouraging to know that more and more
people are becoming aware of the
threat hate groups pose and are
speaking up. They need the support from all of us.
By 1994 we were feeling good
about the problems Thom Robb
was having keeping the KKK together. Unfortunately, this year
we were shocked to learn that
many former Klan members had
found a new home in the many
militia groups forming around the
country.
A radical militia group has located in the remote valley where
James and I own a home outside
Eureka Springs. The sounds of
gunfire can be heard from our
house as they target practice in the
valley below.
It seems no matter where you
live you can't escape the problems
of today's society. Events like these
make it important to remember
the words of Niemoller: " ...then
they came for me and by that time
no one was left to speak up".
We are now living in the community of Eureka Springs with a
great network of caring people.
We are deeply grateful for the
Women's Project's efforts for "the
transformation of the world." It
gives us the strength to carry on.

Page 7 •Transformation• September/October 1995

Thank you!
Susan DeVito

BOO KNOTES

eighth novel by one of the Netherlands' leading feminist authors.

WQMEN'S1
PROJECT
~

NEW BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY
Lynn Frost
Juba To Jive: A Dictionary Of African-American Slang, edited by
Clarence Major, is Major's update
of his 1970 classic, Dictionary Of
Afro-American Slang, expanded
to include the latest entries from
the soul and hip hop generations.
"Black speech isn't just a linguistic variation, it's a way of being
and seeing, and this books is a
coded history of black life in
America."
... Voice Literary
Supplement, June 1994
Living In Secret by Christina Salat
is one of the first books to be published for middle-grade readers
about having a lesbian parent. It
examines the dilemma of elevenyear-old Amelia who is not al-

lowed-by her father and by the
court-to live with her mother simply because her mother is a lesbian. Allowed no other real options, Amelia, her mother, and her
mother's lover run away together
to start new lives, choosing to live
in secret rather than to continue to
be separated. Lambda Literary
Award Winner.
Unnatural Mothers by Renate
Dorrestein, "is a heart-breaking
novel about a gifted child's unmet
need for protection from the narcissism, violence and neglect of
her own wounded parents. Renate
Dorrestein's evocation of the savagery lurking just beneath the orderly, placid surface of a small
Dutch town is powerful and chilling." ...Lisa Alther. This is the

Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal
History of Violence in America by
Geoffrey Canada, one of this
country's most powerful and talented advocates for children. At a
time in America when violence is
reaching a peak, Canada's literary
debut brings us an understanding
of how we got to this point and
what can be done to curb the violence in every city and town. "A
,dose of strong medicine for a society locked into death on the installment plan." ...Kirkus Reviews, June 9, 1995.
In These Girls, Hope Is A Muscle
by Madeleine Blais follows a girls'
basketball team, the Lady Hurricanes of Amherst, Mass., through
one season and shows us how
amazing a role sports can play in a
girl's life-not just as a hobby but
as a passion. " ...a book that truly
celebrates and honors girls as athletes."
... Feminist Bookstore
News, May /June 1995.
What Parents Need To Know
About Dating Violence by Barrie
Levy & Patricia Occhiuzzo
Giggans gives straightforward
advice on how to recognize the
warning signs of dating violence,
understand the dynamics of abuse,
strengthen communication and
minimize power struggles with
your teen, and develop safety
plans with your teen to avoid potentially dangerous situations. A

Page 8 •Transformation• September/October 1995

chapter offering support to parents
of gay and lesbian teens in abusive
relationships is also included.
No Disrespect by Sister Souljah The personal and intimate interactions between Sister Souljah and
the seven characters whose names
function as chapter titles in her
book provide the impetus for her
phenomenal growth into a very
intelligent,
successful young
woman. These· interactions are
not without both pain and joy,
two "musts" for personal growth
and
development.
...Liz
Witherspoon, Women's Project
board member
Joining The Tribe: Growing Up
Gay & Lesbian In The '90s by
Linnea Due is a moving portrait
of an endangered community
whose resilience and courage will
inspire gay and straight readers
alike. "Adults have much to learn
from this complex look at a group
of young people, who, despite the
gains of gay liberation, still grow
up very much on their own."
...Kirkus Reviews

Some new magazines available,
but not in our library, are:
DAWN, a newsletter from the Divorced & Widowed Women's Network, which helps women take
charge of their lives. It offers medical, legal & financial advice along
with ways to deal constructively
with grief & loneliness. ($22.50/
yr., 6 issues, Suite G, 455 De Vargas
Center, Santa Fe, NM 87501)

SingleMOTHER, is for the approximately 10 million single
mothers heading households in
the U.S. Promising to be a publication that all single mothers can
benefit from, it provides articles
on health, finances, child psychology, and a section for reader participation. ($11/yr., 6 issues, Just
You & Me Kid Publishing, 11111
Jim Sossoman Rd., Midland, NC
28107)
Ungrateful!, a new zine/newsletter for poor and working class lesbians. It is free to lesbians making
less than $7500 a year and costs up
to $3 for lesbians making more.
For information write to Ungrateful, P.O. Box 7471, Minneapolis,
MN 55407.

The library would love for you
to donate a subscription to these
or any other magazines, journals
or newspapers. Give us a call to
find out what we need.
More new books in the library:
Sister Sa/ ety Pin by Lorrie Sprecher
(Lesbian Novel)
Daughter O/The Goddess: The Sacred Priestess by Naomi Ozaniec
(Spirituality)
Gal: A True Life by Ruthie Bolton
(African-American Biography)
Nun In The Closet by Joanna
Michaels (Lesbian Mystery)
Trouble And Her Friends by Melissa Scott (N. Little Rock native)
(Lesbian Sci-Fi)
In Mad Love And War by Joy Harjo
(Native American Poetry) ■

Page 9 •Transformation• September/October 1995

Women's
Project
Needs
Volunteers!
FRANCES W. PRITCHETT

arly in 1991, when
my retirement was
approaching, I began to consider how I was
going to spend my free time.
I knew that bridge parties
and what I'll call "senior citizen frivolities" were out. I
not only wanted to exercise
my talents and interests, but
I wanted to do so in the company of people who were
dedicating their very lives to
worthwhile goals. I found
such people at the Women's
Project, and they were funloving to boot! Their statement of purpose, "Our Mission," which is printed on
the last page of every newsletter, says it all.
I now spend a few hours
each week helping with library tasks, preparing mailings, clipping articles from
the newspaper or filing. It
gives me so much satisfaction to know that I am contributing to the goals of the
Women's Project,which have
long been mine as well. I
urge all potential volunteers
to "come on in" and get to
work! ■

E

Women's Project

CALENDAR
for September and October 1995

Friday, September 8
Women's Project 14th
Anniversary
Open House & Awards
Presentation
The Evangeline K. Brown Award
will be presented to Betty Cole,
community organizer from Colt,
AR. The Volunteers of the Year
Award will be presented to Susan & James DeVito, Women's
Watchcare Network volunteers
from Eureka Springs. 5-7 p.m. light refreshments.
Saturday, September 9
You are cordially invited for
Drinks & Light Refreshments
to Welcome Kerry Lobel, Deputy
Director of the Nat'l. Gay & Lesbian Task Force, at the home of
Deb Halter, #9 Gunpowder
Court,LittleRock. 7-9p.m. Dress
Casual. No charge to attend, but
this is a fundraiser for NGLTF.

--=

~

test new groups in Memphis. Two
women performing acoustic rock
which will include original songs
as well as favorites from Melissa
Etheridge, The Indigo Girls, k.d.
lang and others. $5 at the door.
Monday, September 25
6-9 p.m. - Little Rock Adult Center
- 6401 West 12th Street.
The Women's Project is sponsoring
the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, Inc. from Fort Smith, Arkansas who will provide a seminar
on breast cancer. Breast cancer
claims the lives of over 400 Arkansas women each year. Women age
65 and older are at greater risk, and
African-American women, young
and old, are at greater risk of dying
from breast cancer.

Tuesday, September 12
Lesbian Network- 7 p.m. -2224
Main St., Little Rock - Topic:
"Butch-Femme" Followup - a
continuation of the lively discussion held last month on the same
topic.

Tuesday, September 26
Lesbian Network -7 p.m. - 2224
Main St., Little Rock - Topic: Summer Reflections. Special guests will
talk about their experiences at various women's festivals and gatherings. Bring your photos and share
your stories with us, too.

Wednesday, September 20
Women's Coffeehouse - 8 p.m. Vino's in Little Rock
The Belle Curves, one of the hot-

Saturday, September 30
2nd Annual Book Swap & Sale 2224 Main St., Little Rock - 9 a.m. 2p.m.

Youcanrentspacefor$5toswap
& sell your own books, come to
shop for used books outside, or
shop inside at the Women's
Project Bookstore with a 15%
discount special on selected
books and on 1996 calendars &
date books.
Tuesday, October 10
Lesbian Network -7 p.m. -2224
Main St., Little Rock - Topic:
Arts & Crafts Night- Bring your
own creations to show and sell.
Exhibitors come to set up at 6:30
p.m.
Saturday, October 14
Alix Dobkin in Concert at
UALR - 8 p.m. - Stella Boyle
Smith Auditorium.
"Alix
Dobkin has been a thunderbolt
in feminist circles since she entered them in the early seventies." -The Washington Blade.
Alix will present one or two
workshops the following week,
on campus at UALR.
Tuesday, October 24
Lesbian Network-7 p.m. - 2224
Main St., Little Rock - Topic:
Lesbians & HIV/ AIDS - A discussion of safe sex for lesbians
will be included.
For information on any of these
events, call 372-5113.

Page 10 •Transformation• September/October 1995

Property of the Center

Univi1(1lr1~f
11l~1f
iiill1lf1l1111I1i11lif
~J1illllf
1~111r.
OK

M 001 111 296

Our Mission...
Our goal is social change or, as the poet Adrienne
Rich writes, "the transformation of the world." We
believe this world can be changed to become a place
of peace and justice for all women.
We take risks in our work; we take unpopular
stands. We work for all women and against all
forms of discrimination and oppression. We believe
that we cannot work for all women and against
sexism unless we also work against racism, classism,
ageism,
anti-Semitism,
heterosexism
and
homophobia. We see the connection among these
oppressions as the context for violence against
women in this society.
We are concerned in particular about issues of

importance to traditionally underrepresented
women: poor women, aged women, women of color,
teenage mothers, lesbians, women in prisons, etc.
All are women who experience discrimination and
violence against their lives.
We are committed to working multi-culturally,
multi-racially, and to making our work and cultural
events accessible to low income women. We believe
that women will not know equality until they know
economic justice.
We believe that a few committed women working
in coalition and in consensus with other women can
make significant change in the quality of life for all
women.

Transformation
is published six times every year.
In each issue, members and volunteers receive analysis of contemporary issues,
information about Women's Project upcoming events and activities, book reviews, and more.
If you are not a Women's Project member or volunteer and would like to continue
receiving the newsletter, please fill out the membership form on this page.

Current Projects
■

Prison Project

A support and advocacy project for women in prison that provides
support groups for battered women in prison, a prisoner-led AIDS
program and a transportation program for the children of
incarcerated mothers.
■

Women's Watchcare Network

A project to monitor and respond to incidents of racial, religious,
sexual, and anti-gay violence; and to provide education and strategies
to counter the activities of hate groups and the Radical Right.
■

The Social Justice Project

Workshops on understanding racism and homophobia and
developing methods to eliminate them; women's economic issues;
organizational development for social change organizations.
■

~ Yes,I wouldliketo join

~ the Women'sProject.
Name __________________
Address _________________

_

City __________________

_

State ______

_

Zip _________

_

Phone/day ________________

_

Phone/evening _______________

_

□ $ 7.50

□ $ 20

□ $ 50

( low income)

□

□ $100

African-American Women's Institute for Social Justice

A project which creates strategies for overcoming the barriers that
hinder African-American women's efforts toward power and selfdetermination.
■

_

Women and AIDS

A project to develop strategies for working with women and
caregivers around AIDS issues.
■

,------------------7

Communications and Events

A newsletter, a lending library, statewide and regional conferences,
and production of women singers, poets and novelists.

$ 25

Make checks payable to:
Women's Project
2224 Main Street
Little Rock, AR 72206

L __________________

Page 11 •Transformation• September/October

1995

~

Women's
Project

Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Little Rock, Arkansas
Permit No. 448

2224 Main Street
Little Rock, AR 72206

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

HERLAND
SISTER RES.
OKLAHOMA
CITY OK 73112